The Pink Flower Freezes
by Kaori-Obitto
Summary: Upon finding her teacher murdered in his classroom Sakura's life goes down hill from there. She starts to recieve threatening letters, accusing her of killing Mr.Kyoshi. Scared for her life, she doesn't report anything, and she watches her back, along with Naruto. When she meets Hitsugaya Toshiro, a stranger, he promises to keep her safe. But is he more trouble than it's worth?
1. Chapter 1

She growled as she walked down the hall, her fellow students moving out of her way as she did so. Needless to say, she wasn't happy. She'd had to get up at 5:00AM this morning, a total _hour_ earlier than usual. On top of that, she had to be at school at 6:00AM, once again a total _hour _and _a half_ earlier than usual! All because that damn wouldn't wait until 3rd block -when she was actually _in_ his class- for her to turn in her history project. Bastard. No wonder he wasn't married.

Glancing down at her hands, her eyes locked onto said item. The project was on history, so she had taken an old-styled white vase, and painted it to look like an ancient wedding vase. She had to admit, she had done a great job on it, with the beautiful designs she had painted on it and the many manuscript symbols. Still, it was the reason she had to get up an hour earlier, and she hated the thing.

Scowling once more, she continued her way down the hall, to 's classroom, number 312. The several people watching her quickly diverted their eyes as her angry gaze fell on them. A few of the males she passed scowled back playfully, making a clawing motion with their hands. If it had been another day she would have laughed, but it wasn't. Her mood soured even more when she saw the door to her destination. It was shut, which was strange- not that she would know, she was never here this early- but she thought nothing of it.

As she approached the door, she noticed this part of the hall was empty, save for three kids standing at the corner. She brushed past them, slowing her pace as she neared the door. She knew she didn't want to be snappy with right now, that could wait until after she got her grade.

Taking a deep breath, she carefully balanced the vase in her right hand while she reached for the knob with her left. She paused as soon as her hand touched the knob. It was warm. Like someone had kept their hand on it for a long time, thinking, or hesitating. She snorted quietly. Probably 's stupid paranoia. She was about to twist the knob when she suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw no one. She didn't ponder too long though, it _was_ a school after all. She shook her head lightly and twisted the knob. She swung the door open and sighed as she walked in, her eyes still on her project as she tilted it and looked for the title.

" , I've got the project you assigned. But I don't understand why it cou-" She stopped when she looked up. She dropped the vase in shock, not even flinching when the expensive glass shattered at the impact with the fake tile floor. Her eyes widening in horror, she took three very slow steps back, her hands moving to cover her mouth. Her breathing became heavy.

There, laying half way on his desk, absolutely _drenched_ in blood, was . He was lying on his back, his legs hanging off the desk in an odd angle. Blood was every where, on the board, the wall, the chair, and even some of the desks in the first few rows. His face was barely recognizable, and his eyes wide in dull terror, his mouth open in a silent scream. Those eyes. Those eyes would haunt her for the rest of her life. Sakura stared at his mangled form, and did the only thing she could think of.

She screamed.

Then it was silent for a second, until she heard footsteps in the hall, but she didn't pay attention to it as she screamed again, her back pressing against the wall as she slid down in, into a sitting position.

"Sakura-Chan! Are you alright?" She heard. She didn't have to look to see who it was, that voice was unmistakable. In that moment, as he kneeled down beside her, oblivious to the horror he was to face if he so much as glanced up, she wanted to be Naruto. Unaware of the gruesome scene, full attention on his friend.

"Sakura-Chan?" She didn't even look like she heard him. She just stared, wide eyed, at the scene. Naruto finally became desperate, and followed her gaze, letting out a scream of his own as he did so. They were so caught up in terror that they hadn't noticed the group of people standing in the doorway, or the police officers shoving their way inside.

They brushed past them, one stopping to ask if they were OK, and asking that they move out and into the hall. The officer was even so kind as to help the traumatized teens walk to the wall outside the classroom and sit them down. After about ten minutes, most parents had come and got their child, save for those who lived farther away.

Sakura still sat in the same position, not moving or speaking, even when the same officer as before asked if she needed to talk to someone.

She took in a shaky breath, and looked around at the remaining students. Many of them had also sat against the wall, holding their heads in boredom. There was a small group that stood out though, Sakura realized, the same kids that were standing at the corner. There were three in total, two boys and one girl.

The girl, she observed, had raven coloured hair and lavender toned eyes. She was sitting on her knees, using her hands to wildly gesture and show the boy poorly drawn pictures. She seemed to be arguing with one of the boys. Even sitting on her knees, she looked short.

Said boy was tall, even sitting down, with strange _orange_ hair- (not that she was one to talk)- and brown eyes. He seemed very annoyed at the raven haired girl, and he sat cross legged, his hands on his knees in a meditating position, but he was leaned forward as he talked to the girl.

The last one was sitting a little less than half way between the two others and herself. It appeared that he was trying to distance himself from the two and personally, Sakura couldn't blame him. The two were screaming at each other like an old married couple. Anyway, the boy looked about her height, give or take an inch or two.

His hair was white, and a piece hung out stiffly, before falling limply just beside his eye. His eyes were closed though, so she couldn't see the colour. His posture was relaxed, his head leaned back against the wall, one leg brought up to his chest and his elbow resting on it, the rest of his arm hung uncaringly off the side. His other leg was straight, slightly bent to avoid stiffness, and his hand was on the floor, his index finger tapping boardly at the tile.

There was something off about him. She couldn't quite place it, but she didn't like the feeling at all. But with what she saw, she had doubts about everyone now.

Realizing he was being watched, the boy opened his eyes, revealing them to be a bright turquoise colour. He didn't look at her at first though, he kept his vision straight ahead, until he slowly looked out of the corner of his eye at her. She had already looked away though. She felt his eyes stay on her for a good five seconds before she heard a quiet sigh through his nose and felt the familiar relief wash over her again.

_' will never feel_ anything_ again..'_ She thought, the picture of said teacher's mangled form and her curling scream coming back into the center of her mind.

She winced, and a slight whimper escaped her throat. The boy obviously heard, because immediately after, she felt his eyes on her again. Tiring of this alternating game of cat and mouse, she glanced over at him. His eyes were almost...Curious? It was obvious he hadn't seen the body.

Lucky bastard.

She tore her eyes away from him and focused her attention on the main doors, watching her father get out of his car and walk quickly to the doors. Even as she was walking out those doors, she felt a gaze on her. Looking back, she could have sworn she saw the girl quickly look away from her.

When she got home, she went straight to her room, ignoring her mother's pesky questions. She made sure to lock the door and close the blinds on her window before she flopped down on her bed, and screamed into the pillow. Her cellphone rang countless times, but she never made a move to even see who it was who was calling her. She didn't care. As she cried into the pillow, only one thought was in her mind:

_'I'll never be able to sleep again.'_

* * *

It wasn't until two weeks later that school started up again. Room 312 was still off limits of course, and the school decided that they would destroy that room sometime during spring break, a whole three months from now. Everyone was on their toes, students were very worried that they would be next. There was nothing to prove that there _would_ be another victim, but no one would go anywhere alone, even to the bathroom, or to get a drink. And everyone watched for strange behaviour, even the slightest abnormality and people were whispering about you, suspicions and tensions running high. Even the teachers were nervous to go anywhere alone, and everyone was advised to use the 'Buddy System' which they happily agreed.

Sakura was currently heading to her locker, Naruto in toe. He hadn't left her side since school had come back in, and she was secretly glad he was there. At least she knew she could trust Naruto. And his locker was only 5 down from hers, so they always walked together. She watched as Naruto hurriedly opened his locker, grabbed his books, and shut it, twisting the code back to zero. It was obvious he didn't want to be in the hallway very long.

She didn't either, so she opened her locker as well. She grabbed her math textbook, notebook, and a pencil and pen. She was about to shut her locker when she noticed something out of place. Inside her locker, neatly folded, was a piece of notebook paper that she was sure wasn't there before 2nd block. She didn't remember taking any notes either. Reaching inside her locker, she timidly grasped the piece of paper and pulled it out. She flipped it over several times, still not unfolding it.

"Um, Sakura-Chan? Can we go now?" Naruto asked, his voice higher than usual. You could tell he was nervous.

"You go on ahead," she said, ushering him towards Kakashi's class. He reluctantly went in the class and sat down by the door, watching her.

She nervously unfolded the paper and read it silently.

_Are you happy? I hope so. is dead now. __Isn't this what you wanted? I heard you tell that blonde girl that you wished he was gone, so I decided to save you the trouble and do the job for you. You're welcome! Is there anyone else you'd like gone?_

_What about that Karin girl who's always making fun of you?_

_Or that Uchiha brat that's always so mean to you?..I could get rid of him too if you want._

_Wish I could say more but I'm out of time. Oh, and for your sake, don't give this note to the police, because if you're reading this, your fingerprints are the only one's on it, and you've got motive._

_That blondie is not your friend: She'll rat you out in a heartbeat to save her own skimpy ass. But I know you wouldn't do that._

_Watch out for yourself. We don't want anything happening to you, do we?_

_-Goodbye, Sakura._

It wasn't signed. Was this a joke? Or was it really her fault? And just _how many_ people heard her tell Ino she wished that was dead? Was the killer really mocking her with this note?

These questions zoomed in her head, but in the back of her mind, she knew what it meant. It was a threat, and someone was watching her. One thing was certain. She had to get _out of there!_ She ran down the hall as fast as she could, ignoring the yell she heard from Naruto, out the main doors and into the parking lot. She then to her car, quickly opened the door, and practically threw herself in. Even in her terrified state, she wasn't stupid: she buckled her seatbelt before putting the car in gear and pressing the gas.

* * *

She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care right now. She just had to get away from the school. She passed a sign that said the speed limit was 30mph. A quick glance at her speedometer told her she was going a very fast and very illegal 70mph. She gripped the steering wheel tighter, her knuckles turning white from the pressure, and she rounded a sharp corner, barely staying on the road. She thought about the note, and more she thought about the note, the more her fear turned to rage, and the more her fear turned to rage, the faster she went, and the faster she went, the more danger she was in.

Her eyes burned as they started to water. Her vision became blurry, and she reached up with one hand to wipe them clean. Just as she did this, the clear went over a speed bump, and the impact snapped her head backwards and against the window. Without thinking, she shot her hands up to grasp her head, and the car started to turn out of control. She slammed the brakes and turned the wheel frantically, trying to get the car back under control, but nothing seemed to work. She couldn't even scream, and suddenly everything went black.

The car went went through the guard rails and drove over the bank, into the river bellow.

* * *

When she woke up three days later she was in a hospital room. Her nurse, who's name she didn't care enough to recall, started to explain what happened.

"Ah, , you're awake. You're lucky to be alive you know. Your car went over the bank down next to Ichiraku's ramen shop and into the river. You're lucky you didn't drown!" She said.

Sakura remained silent, her mind just now coming back to her. The nurse ignored her lack of tone and checked her vitals.

"Everything seems fine. I'll let the doctor know you're awake and he'll be in here in a few minutes." she said, writing on the clip board. "Oh, you have a few letters too."

She continued, putting several sealed envelopes on Sakura's bedside table. She then did several other physical tests, scribbled on her clipboard, and left.

She waited for ten minutes.

_'I. Am. Bored! I guess I'll read the letters.' s_he thought exasperated.

The first one was from Ino.

_Dear Forehead,_

_Sakura frowned at the heading._

_You've been out for a while so I've decided to update you on all the latest things. I'll do this until you're back. You'll wanna read these when you wake up._

_Ok, first: OMG! I made it on the cheerleading team! And that girl Karin? I thought you said she was mean?! She's actually REALLY nice. I'm either mad cause you lied about it, or I'm encouraging you to get to know her. Either way works._

_Second: Kiba keeps trying to ask me out like ALWAYS. Its getting really annoying!_

_Third: Got to go now, Karin wants to go shopping.' Bye Forehead!_

_Ino._

Sakura growled angrily as she read the letter. As much as she didn't want to admit it, that note was right. Ino didn't even care enough to ask if she was okay, and now she was hanging out with Karin? Ah hell, she'd be angry about that when she _didn't_ have a killer headache. She carelessly tossed Ino's letter on the floor and opened the next. She smiled when she saw who it was from. Naruto.

_Dear Sakura-Chan,_

_Things aren't the same without you around. I've been hanging out with Kiba lately, you know the buddy thing?_

_And speaking of Kiba, did Ino tell you he was asking her out? She lies! Kiba was asking about YOU!_

_Anyway, Just so you know, Kiba is reading over my shoulder while I write this. He smells like dog, help me Sakura-Chan! Ow, he hit me!_

_Anyway, are you OK? I was really worried when you ran out, and then the news said that you were in a car crash, I was so scared._

_They said you went over the bank at Ichiraku's and into the river. I thought I lost you Sakura-Chan. I can't wait until you come back!_

_But I'll never let you out of my sight again. Kiba says "Hi!" Well I hope you feel better Sakura-Chan! I wish I could write more but I have to go, the teacher's looking. Hehe I know you'll probably hit me for writing this in class later, but I'm looking forward to it._

_I miss not having you around to hit me. See ya' soon Sakura-Chan!_

_sincerely, you're BESTEST friend_

_Naruto Uzumaki._

_Kiba Inuzuka_

She couldn't help the slight giggle that escaped her mouth. Naruto always knew how to cheer her up. Shaking her head lightly, she carefully place Naruto's letter on the stand and picked up the next one. She stared at it confused. It didn't have a return address. Maybe they didn't want a reply? Nevertheless, she opened it.

_Dear Sakura,_

_Are you alright? I saw the news that you were in a car crash. How bad are your injuries? I hope they don't hurt._

_Oh, I saw Karin today. I overheard her talking with her friends. The stupid slut had the nerve to say you tried to kill yourself because of the guilt you had about killing . But we both know you didn't do it. You're too sweet to do something that would take that much. Did you know blondie is hanging out with her now? What did I tell you? I bet she didn't even ask if you were ok. But don't worry, you don't need people like her. Anyway, they said you drove over the bank down at Ichiraku's._

_That's a pretty big bank, you must have been terrified. I hope you're ok though. Are you coming back to school soon?_

_Enough with the pleasantries though, as much as I'd like to continue. I hope you haven't forgotten about my offer._

_I could still get rid of Karin, or even that Uchiha brat for treating you badly. Hell, I could even get rid of the Uzumaki kid if I didn't know it would hurt you. I guess I'm just jealous of how close you two are. But you don't have to worry, I see how you two are like siblings, and I could never hurt you like that._

_So is there someone you want gone now? What about that blondie? I know you can't answer, 'cause I didn't put a return address, and I didn't even mail this. So when you do want me to help you with something, go to the abandoned warehouse on third street. Just inside the door, there is a small box. Write down the name of the person you want gone, and leave the paper on the shelf above the box. I trust you won't try anything stupid. I know you're a very smart girl._

_-Feel better soon, Sakura!_

"Whatcha readin'?" A voice suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts. Looking up, she saw an all too familiar face.

"Tsunade?" She stared as said woman bounced into the room with a slight smile. Tsunade was Sakura's godmother, she had taken care of her since she was six years old. Sakura prepared herself for the long lecture that was to come.

"You really put me through hell Sakura! Do you know worried I was?"

"I know Tsunade but-"

"I mean, the last time I saw you you were in school just as normal as can be and then the next time I see you you are in a hospital bed form a car crash!" Tsunade rudely interrupted. "You're lucky that boy was there to pull you out!"

"Hai hai-wait, what boy?"

"I dunno. They said there was a boy who pulled up just after you went over the bank. Said he looked over it and saw your car. Apparently he dived in to get you. They didn't get a good description though, they said he had a black hoodie pulled over his head. We put out rewards for the identity of him, but no one came forward claiming to be him." She explained, shrugging.

_'A black hoodie...Lots of people have black hoodies...'_ Sakura thought, staring at Tsunade blankly.

"-Now, as you doctor- and legal guardian- I command you to get some sleep!" Tsunade shouts, standing up and marching out of the room.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura plops softly back down against the large pillow. As she dozes off, she fails to notice a shadowed figure watching her from a crack in the doorframe.


	2. Chapter 2

_"I mean, the last time I saw you you were in school just as normal as can be and then the next time I see you you are in a hospital bed form a car crash!" Tsunade rudely interrupted. "You're lucky that boy was there to pull you out!"_

_"Hai hai-wait, what boy?"_

_"I dunno. They said there was a boy who pulled up just after you went over the bank. Said he looked over it and saw your car. Apparently he dived in to get you. They didn't get a good description though, they said he had a black hoodie pulled over his head. We put out rewards for the identity of him, but no one came forward claiming to be him." She explained, shrugging._

_'A black hoodie...Lots of people have black hoodies...' Sakura thought, staring at Tsunade blankly._

_"-Now, as your doctor- and legal guardian I command you to get some sleep!" Tsunade shouts, standing up and marching out of the room._

_Rolling her eyes, Sakura plops softly back down against the large pillow. As she dozes off, she fails to notice a shadowed figure watching her from a crack in the door frame._

* * *

She yawned and stretched before swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She quickly surveyed the white room, and her gaze was drawn to vase of flowers sitting in the right corner- left there by Tsunade no doubt. Sakura rubbed her eyes and stood up. She had to get out of here before Tsunade came back. She quickly changed out of her hospital gown and into a set of clothes lying on a bedside table. She made her way out of the door, grabbing her bag as she did so, and managed to sneak out of the hospital without being seen by Tsunade.

When she returned to school three days later she was greeted by an enthusiastic Naruto and a flirtatious Kiba. The day dragged on but eventually it came to the last class and Sakura wanted nothing more than for the bell to ring. All day, she'd been bombarded with questions and sympathy and worry. She hated it. She didn't mind at first but after a while it became very annoying.

_Come on you stupid bell! Ring!_ she thought angrily. It took another twenty minutes for it ring, and even then she stayed in the classroom_._

She wanted to wait until the hallway cleared a bit. That way she wouldn't be pushed around every step of the way. She stood in the doorway and waited until most of the people left before she went to her locker. She quickly put several books in her locker and pulled out some. She was closed the small door and was about to turn around when something crashed into her, making her stumble forward and drop all of her books.

Sakura turned angrily to the offender only to come face to face with his chest. Looking up, she saw the same orange haired boy from the hall.

"Ichigo, you idiot!" a girl's voice yelled. It was the girl that the orange haired one had been arguing with. He scratched his neck nervously.

"Sorry about that." he said. The girl glared at him.

"You need to apologize!" she yelled.

"But Rukia, we'll be late for practice!" he yelled back. They argued for quite a while before someone from the other side of the hall spoke up. His hair was red, and his face was decorated in strange tatoo's.

"Come on you two. If we're late again, the coach will make us run twenty laps!"

"Shut up Renji!" Ichigo yelled.

"Make me!"

"Both of you shut up!" a new voice yelled over the arguing. Sakura looked past Ichigo to the white haired boy she hadn't noticed before. Again, he was one of the kids from the hall. He walked up to Ichigo and glared at him without hesitance, which was odd considering the height difference. "You're so busy arguing with Renji, when your first priority should have been to clean up your mess." he scolded, walking past him and to the scattered pile of books in the floor.

"Go to practice," he said, "I'll clean this up."

"Thanks!" the three yelled in union as they disappeared down the hallway. Sakura sighed. They acted like she wasn't even there.

Once they're were gone the white haired boy bent down and gathered her things. When he stood, she reached out to grab her books. He sharply turned so that he held them out of her reach and gave her an odd look.

"You're not suppose to carry things this soon after an accident." he scolded, "I'll carry these to your car." he waited for her to lead the way down the hall. As she passed him he fell into step beside her. She didn't miss the way he shifted the books into the arms farthest from her.

"Who are you anyway?" she questioned.

"I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya, but you should call me Hitsugaya." he calmly. He looked at her.

"I'm Sakura Haruno, but you should call me Sakura." she copied his speech.

He smiled, "Very funny,"

They walked until eventually they reached the parking lot. Glancing around, Sakura caught sight of Naruto and Kiba sitting in Naruto's orange Equinox. The two gestured at her. "Come on!" was practically spelled across Naruto's face. As they approached, Naruto grinned.

"It's about time, Sakura-chan!" he whined and Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Just put that stuff in the backseat," she told Hitsugaya, who walked nonchalantly to the car door. She turned her attention back to Naruto and Kiba in the front seat.

She watched Kiba expectantly. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Get out! It's my turn to ride in the front seat." she said it like it was common knowledge and as Kiba made a shocked face she thought she heard Hitsugaya smother a laugh. Grudgingly, Kiba stepped out of the front seat and moved to the back. Sakura quickly replaced him in the seat.

"Thanks for helping me, Hitsugaya!" she said. He nodded,

"No problem." he said before turning and disappearing back into the school. Once he was out of sight she turned her attention to Naruto. He grinned as he began to pull the car out of the parking lot. "So what do you guys want to do? Maybe go to a dance club? Food?" he suggested. She sighed.

"I just want to go home and take a nap." she said. Naruto made a mock face of being hurt.

"You're no fun! Don't you want to hang out with me?" he whined. They all argued for a good twenty minutes before arriving at Kiba's house. After dropping him off, they argued the rest of the way to Sakura's.

She got out and before she closed the car door Naruto spoke up. "Hey, Sakura-chan, call me if you need anything, okay?" he continued in a much more quiet voice, "They still haven't found who did _that_ to yet. That means that they're probably still around and," he stopped himself short. He bit his bottom lip before continuing.

"Just-just call me if you need anything, okay?" he said. She nodded and watched until his car vanished around a turn before she walked into her house. As she entered, the wooden floor boards creaked. She made her way to the kitchen and looked around.

No sign of Tsunade. Good. She smiled and swung open the refrigerator door, grabbing a glass of ice tea. Taking a sip from it, she did a quick look of the first floor. It wasn't anything special, but it wasn't anything too drab either. The house was about twelve years old and still made noises that terrified her s a child. The floors would make a popping noise without someone stepping on it and the tree outside the window made a strange shadow at night.

Despite it's quirks, she loved living here.

_Pop-pop-pop-pop_!

There it was. She listened as the upstairs floorboards moaned and creaked in jerky rhythms. Sighing, she quickly finnished her ice tea and placed the glass in the sink. She plodded upstairs and turned left into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and stripped. The hot water that greeted her body as she stepped into the shower made her skin turn red.

She stood there, soaking in the water for a while before she actually began to clean herself. She washed her hair first, and then scrubbed her body clean with a sponge and soap. When she was finished, she remained under the faucet until the water began to turn cold.

As she was dressing, the sound of a door closing made her jump. _Sounds like Tsunade's home,_ she thought after calming herself. She quickly got dressed and blow-dryed her hair before stepping out into the hall, cool air rushing in at her as she opened the door.

"Tsunade?" she called. No one answered, which was strange, but Tsunade had been getting more and more paperwork lately so she probably went straight to her study.

She walked down the stairs and stopped. "Tsunade?" she called again. Still no answer. She sighed angrily and walked through the living room, pausing to look out the glass sliding doors that led into the back yard. The sun had already set. Jeez, how long had she been in the shower?

_Creak! Pop-pop-pop!_

The floorboards upstairs creaked again, but this time heavier and it was obvious that Tsunade was walking upstairs.

Sakura glared at the stairs. How did she get up there? _That's Tsunade for you._

She grudgingly trudged back up the stairs and towards Tsunade's room. The door was shut, and when she got closer she could hear papers being shoved around. She grabbed the knob but before she open the door her phone vibrated from inside her pocket.

She pulled it out and read the three text messages that had somehow come to her all at the same time.

The first was from Ino so she deleted it without reading it.

_Hey Sakura-Chan! Hinata and Neji are throwing a party next week. You gotta come!_

_-Naruto._

She stared blankly at the phone. Damn. That meant she'd have to buy a new shirt by the time it was over. She read the last text.

_Hey Sakura! Working late tonight, won't be home til 4._

_-Tsunade_.

She stopped and stared at the text. Then looked up and stared at the door. Then the text. Then the door. Then the text. Then the door.

She ran.

She ran to room and slammed and locked the door behind her. She sat against the door and tried to force herself to calm down. Sakura looked at her phone.

Who do you call when you need someone to beat the hell out of someone who broke into your house and might try to kill you?

Only two names came to mind.

_Ring, ring ring ring-_

"_What is it, Haruno?"_ a raspy voice on the other line answered.

"Call Naruto. Someone's in my house,"she whispered, trying to hold back the tears of fear, "Gaara, I really need your help."


	3. Chapter 3

_She stopped and stared at the text. Then looked up and stared at the door. Then the text. Then the door. Then the text. Then the door._

_She ran._

_She ran to room and slammed and locked the door behind her. She sat against the door and tried to force herself to calm down. Sakura looked at her phone._

_Who do you call when you need someone to beat the hell out of someone who broke into your house and might try to kill you?_

_Only two names came to mind._

_Ring, ring ring ring-_

_"What is it, Haruno?" a raspy voice on the other line answered._

_"Call Naruto. Someone's in my house," she whispered, trying to hold back the tears of fear, "Gaara, I really need your help."_

* * *

"_What's goin_-" a beep cut Gaara off and Sakura silently cursed when she looked at her phone. Dead? No! No! No! Why do I always forget to charge it? she mentally screamed. Her body squirmed against the door in frustration_._

_Bang!_

She jumped and raised a hand to her mouth to try and muffle her scream. Her tears flew hot and free now and she could hear footsteps in the hall. They were getting louder; coming closer.

The knob above her head joggled as someone tried to open it. Next to her, the tip of a blade poked out between the door frame and the door and began to slide upwards.

_He's going to pick the lock_! she thought. Terrified, she tried to be soundless as she crawled over to her bed and slid under it as far as she could go, pressing her back against the wall. She looked around for something to defend herself with but saw only a box filled with pictures and a foam baseball bat from that time Naruto left it when they were kids_._

She suddenly heard a soft click and the door opened. From her position under the bed, she could only see the blue sneakers the person wore. She watched as they walked across the room and to her night stand. She heard them pull open drawers and shuffle through things like they'd done in Tsunade's room. Not finding anything of value to them, they went to her closet next and popped open the lids on several boxes on the floor.

Sakura felt something brush against her ankle and, thinking it was them, screamed into her hand. Apparently hearing her, they turned and began to make their way towards her. They kneeled beside the bed and began to lean down, but the sound of sirens caught their attention.

She heard them curse under their breath before grabbing something and rushing out the door. Sakura stayed under the bed for a while longer before rushing out herself, running out of the front door and into the arms of an officer that caught her. He led her over to an ambulance and once they checked her over he took her statement and they gave her a security blanket.

Already a large crowd had gathered and everyone wanted to know what was going on.

"Sakura! Sakura!" she heard Tsunade's voice as she shoved through the crowd of people and made her way hastily to Sakura, enveloping the girl in a hug and berating her with questions. Eventually she tuned Tsunade's questions out.

Naruto was next to suffocating her as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, Gaara standing to the side.

"Are you alright Sakura-Chan?" he all but yelled, and she winced at how loud he was.

"I'm alright Naruto, just shaken up." she said. surprisingly, Naruto glared at her.

"No! You could've been killed! I swear, when I find the jackass who did this I'll give him something to run from!" he threw a fist into the air. For about an hour, they all answered questions and talked until eventually the crowd began to disperse.

She and Tsunade stayed at Naruto's house that night.

* * *

Over the next few days, almost everyone Sakura knew had stopped speaking to her. They all believed that she was bad luck, and that she'd be the next one to get killed.

Karin, being who she was, took advantage of this, making sure everyone knew about it. She'd even gone so far as to say this; "_You know, I heard someone shot at Sakura while she walking down the street, missed, and hit a girl from another school,"_ She did everything she could to make sure no one talked to Sakura, and so far it has been working.

The only ones who did still talk to her were Naruto, Gaara, and Kiba, but Kiba made up excuses to avoid her as much as possible. It was obvious he felt terrible for it, but it was also obvious he was terrified to be around her.

Hitsugaya, however, acted like he didn't hear the talk going on around him. That was one thing she'd learned about him: he didn't care what the people around him said.

In fact, whenever Karin and/or Ino were around, he'd go out of his way just to talk to her. She wasn't sure if he did it just to piss Karin off, but she figured that was just a bonus. Actually he talked to her even when they _weren't_ around. During her time of solitude, she was a bit more open to companionship than she should have been, but it had gotten to where she could almost call him a friend.

Almost.

And as he sat next to her in a class she didn't even realize he was in, she couldn't help but wonder _why._ Why did he talk to her? Hadn't he ever heard of certain death? Wasn't he afraid to die? These questions zoomed through her head as she watched him. He seemed to sense her gaze, because he sighed and looked at her.

"What is it?" he asked in a quiet voice. She waited to answer. She watched him, observed him, _assessed_ him, before responding.

"Why do you keep talking to me?"

"What do you mean?" he sounded genuinely surprised by her question.

"Haven't you heard? I'm Death's new assistant."

He laughed quietly. "So?"

"Everyone says I'm bad luck," she paused, "They say that I'll be the next one to get killed." she paused again and he waited for her to continue, the smile on his face having turned into a frown. "What if I am?"

He looked back down at his notebook, having a mental debate with himself before looking back at her. "You won't be." he said sharply. He wrote something down and ripped out the page handed it to her. "My family just moved and now we're on the next street over from yours. If anything happens just give me call." he looked her in the eye and she was surprised by the determination in the turquoise orbs. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." he said.

Suddenly he blushed, realizing his outburst and looking down at his notebook again. "Oh, and you should get a dog so you don't get caught off guard again." he suggested.

She pondered his suggestion and sighed. "I don't have a car so I can't go to the shelter." Damn. She really like the idea of a dog.

"I could drive you."

She brightened but soon fell dim again. "Oh, but Tsunade won't let me get a dog. She usually works late hours and when she gets home she's too tired to talk to."

He smirked mischievously. "She doesn't have to know. If she works late hours, I could drive you there after school today. I don't know who she is, but I'm sure she's not heartless enough to make you take it back."

Sakura smiled. "That's a great idea!"

"I'm not a genius for nothing." he said as the bell rang. "Meet me at the front doors." he said and disappeared in the wave of people in the hall.

Soon she too was on her way to her last class and all through it she couldn't stop thinking about puppies. _Maybe a brown and white one..Or a grey and blue.._

And the bell finally rang she all but skipped towards the front doors. Along the way, Naruto had joined her and soon began mimicking her skipping antics. At the doors though, he waved goodbye and headed off to get ramen.

She didn't have to wait for long for Hitsugaya to show up. He led her outside to his car and opened the door for her. Pretty soon they were pulling out and on the street, and Sakura felt very excited about buying a dog. She forced herself to push all of the recent events of and everything to the back of her mind so that she could focus on the task at hand. If not, she'd probably have a panic attack.

"Have you thought about what type of dog you're getting?" Hitsugaya asked, trying to make conversation.

"Yes I have, but I haven't decided. Guess we'll see when we get there." she replied.

"Word of advice for your situation. Pick a dog that's young enough to be adorable, but old enough to do his job."

"So I should pick you?" she asked innocently, and he narrowed his eyes at the road.

"I don't know whether to be insulted that you called me a dog, or flattered because you called me adorable." he said.

* * *

"What about this one?" Hitsugaya suggested, pointing to a kennel.

"No, too small." she replied.

"This one?" he said, motioning to a kennel beside the one he had just pointed at.

"No, he looks kinda funny." she said, and kept browsing the area.

"What about this one?" Hitsugaya said again, pointing to a kennel full of Chihuahuas. She glared at him.

"Now you're just being stupid."

"Takes one to know one."

Sakura walked down the aisle of kennels, Hitsugaya following closely behind. They passed lots of dogs, big and small, but none of them seemed to fit. Until they got to the last kennel where a young Anatolian Shepherd with a red fawn coat and darker patches of fur around his face and back. His deep brown eyes watched her curiously with a hidden intelligence.

"I want this one!" she said. Hitsugaya motioned for an employee to come and lead them to the front desk where Sakura was to fill out the adoption papers.

"What are you gonna name him?" Hitsugaya asked, looking down at the young dog. She thought for a while.

"Asher." she said. _Asher_ rubbed up against her as she said it and Hitsugaya nodded in approval.

"Come on. It's starting to get late and you need to figure out where to put him." he said, leading the way out of the adoption center. Asher refused to walk but was more than happy to let Hitsugaya carry him. She could only guess that dog was heavy because he was already pretty big for his age.

Such a lazy boy.

* * *

When they arrived at Sakura's house, Hitsugaya helped her get Asher into the house and left, after agreeing to return the next day to help her train him. Sakura sat Asher on the floor and the plopped herself down on the couch.

Good thing it was Friday. Asher kept climbing onto the couch with her so she had to keep pushing him down. It seemed he'd gotten attached to her quite fast. After ten minutes of playing push-and-shove, she sat in the floor and let Asher lay across her lap. She stroked his fur and talked to him.

He was asleep withing ten more minutes.

_Alright,_ she decided,_ time to get him into my room. _

She took the limp dog into her arms and stumbled back a bit. _Damn, he's heavy!_ she thought as she trudged up the stairs one leg at a time. Once she made it to her room, she carefully placed Asher on a folded up blanket in the corner. Sakura layed on her bed for a while, but soon she got bored so she decided to check her text messages.

As usual, the first was from Naruto. She quickly responded to his greeting and checked the others.

The second was from Tsunade.

_I'll be home by 1._

Glancing at the alarm clock beside her bed, Sakura read the time. 10:34PM. She needed to get some sleep. It would surely be a long day tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning Sakura awoke to her new alarm clock. Unfortunately, she couldn't hit this one because that would be considered abuse. So as she layed there with Asher walking back and forth across her stomache and chest, she sighed. Asher, having heard her, almost instantly began licking her like a happy little puppy.

She gently shoved him aside and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she hurriedly got dressed and-after locking Asher in her room- tip-toed downstairs.

After during thorough search of the house for Tsunade, she went back upstairs and released Asher. Too bad she didn't notice the shredded pillow case.

She spent a couple hours trying to get Asher into the backyard. He was the only dog she knew of that was afraid of the outside. She finally did get him outside, and when she did she closed the glass sliding doors. That resulted in several failed attempts of Asher running back into the house.

After he finally settled down, she called Hitsugaya and told him to come over.

When he arrived, they began to try to train Asher.

The training session involved a lot of irritation, scolding for being too rough, and attempted escape- and that was just what Hitsugaya had done. Asher had been a lot worse.

Several hours later, they'd taught him to sit. Asher made it clear that he was an independent thinker, and apparently his only goal today was to show Hitsugaya who was boss. This included once when Hitsugaya told him to stand. He stood alright- and shoved Hitsugaya to the ground and then refused to move. Sakura could do nothing to help- no, she was laughing too hard.

Another incident had been when Asher had run around the yard, in large circles so they couldn't catch him.

And now as the two sat in lawn chairs with Asher on the ground beside them, they were exhausted.

"This is a lot harder than I thought it would be." Hitsugaya commented. Sakura agreed. "I know it's none of my business," he said suddenly, "but before, you only mentioned Tsunade. Don't you have a dad?"

Sakura shrugged. "Don't know. Tsunade's my mom now. The way she acts sometimes, I guess she's my dad too." she said. They both laughed.

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

A noise sounded and Hitsugaya looked at his watch and stood up. "Ah, I have to go. See you in school on Monday." he said.

"Bye!" she showed him to the door and watched as he drove away.

* * *

It was now Monday and Sakura's weekend had gone by pretty fast, between doing chores and hiding Asher from Tsunade, she was kept busy.

It was now lunch time and the cafeteria was packed. Hitsugaya had decided to start eating with her, and some of his friends followed. She'd finally learned all of their names and who disliked who. The day went by quickly and at the end of it Hitsugaya stopped her at the doors.

"What?" she inquired.

"Listen," he said, and he blushed a pretty shade of red, "there's a soccer game tonight at six. I was wondering if, maybe, you wanted to go?" he asked.

"Aren't you _on_ the soccer team?"

"Yeah."

"So you're asking me to come watch you play?"

"That obvious?" he said sarcastically with a smirk.

"Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully," Okay, but you have drive me there." she said.

He rolled his eyes at her answer. "Come on," he led the way to his car.

Along the way the made idle chit-chat and made plans about what time Hitsugaya would come by to get her. When they arrived at her house he walked her to her door. He waited for her to unlock it before he gently nudged her aside and held the door open for her.

As she watched through the window as he left, she looked at Asher.

"Such a cute boy," she said, and as she did, she realized she wasn't talking about the dog.


	4. Things You'll Regret

_"Aren't you on the soccer team?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"So you're asking me to come watch you play?"_

_"That obvious?" he said sarcastically with a smirk._

_"Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully," Okay, but you have drive me there." she said._

_He rolled his eyes at her answer. "Come on," he led the way to his car._

_Along the way the made idle chit-chat and made plans about what time Hitsugaya would come by to get her. When they arrived at her house he walked her to her door. He waited for her to unlock it before he gently nudged her aside and held the door open for her._

_As she watched through the window as he left, she looked at Asher._

_"Such a cute boy," she said, and as she did, she realized she wasn't talking about the dog._

* * *

That night at the soccer game, Sakura sat in the stands next to Naruto and Hinata, who conveniently were there. She had to admit, Hitsugaya was one hell of a player.

Wearing his blue and gold team shirt, he was all over the field, his defined yet lean muscles working to take him wherever he willed. Sakura realized that this must be why her school's soccer team was undefeated.

The other team wasn't doing so well, and by half-time Hitsugaya's team was in the lead. Sakura found that she actually _liked_ watching him play.

**_You think he's hot, don't you? _**a nagging voice began sounding in her mind and she internally groaned. Her talks with her inner had began a lot less frequent over the past few years, but they still happened. Usually inner would just say something and then dissappear, much like this time.

Naruto turned to her suddenly and began trying to make conversation.

"Sakura-Chan, I didn't know you liked soccer." he said innocently. Hinata looked to Sakura for an answer.

"Guess I decided to try something new." she replied and took a piece of Naruto's chocolate bar. He didn't protest. After a short pause he continued.

"It's cause of him isn't it?" he said, looking down at Hitsugaya. Ichigo nudged his shoulder and they both laughed. Hitsugaya looked up at her and smiled, before Ichigo drew his attention.

"He asked me to come watch him play. We're friends, is that such a big deal?"

Naruto looked at her seriously. "I don't like him, Sakura-Chan." he said and both she and Hinata were taken back by this. Naruto didn't like someone? Naruto liked everyone! Even 'Jackass Neji', as he so lovingly called him.

A loud buzz sounded and the people around them cheered; one of the teams made a goal. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I just-...I think he's bad news Sakura-Chan. I really do." he said as he eyed his half-eaten chocolate bar. Sakura looked at him incredulously.

"What makes you say that Naruto? Do you know him?" she inquired in a bit of a harsh tone.

"No, not personally, but-"

"_Then you shouldn't judge!" _she said, and the buzzing noise started again. The people around them all started to get up and Sakura joined the crowd, leaving Naruto in the mess of people with shouts of "Sakura-Chan!"

Once she exited the field, she headed to the parking lot and stood beside Hitsugaya's car like he'd instructed her too. It wasn't long before he joined her. It was dark, so it was a little hard to see him, but she couldn't help but admire the way the light reflected off his eyes, making them look brighter. He grinned at her.

"Enjoy the game?" he asked, opening the car door for her. As she got in she decided not to mention what Naruto had said.

"I must say, you play a mean game, but I bet I could beat you." she taunted, and laughed.

"Oh really? You think so?" he said skeptically.

"I know so."

"In your dreams!" he proclaimed.

Suddenly, Sakura got that nagging sensation of being watched. She turned and looked out the back window. Among the line of trees and brush, she could make out the silhouette of a person facing her and holding something silver. Cold chills went down her spine and she suddenly felt like she was a rabbit being chased by hungry wolves.

She spoke to Hitsugaya without looking at him.

"Hey, do you see that?" she whispered. Hitsugaya gave her an odd look before looking into the rearview mirror, then turned in his seat to look out the back window.

"I don't see anything." he said. She glanced at him, and when she looked back it was gone.

"M-must've been..my imagination." she mumbled, turning back around in her seat and buckling the seatbelt. Hitsugaya did the same.

"Careful Sakura, I think you might be going nuts," he teased, and she forced a smile. He frowned suddenly and began to look like he was having a mental debate with himself. His hand rested on the arm rest of the drivers door, almost as if he was debating whether or not to get out of the car. Soon though he starts the engine and the two of them are on the road.

They sit in silence for a while before Hitsugaya tries to make conversation. "How's Asher?" he asked.

"He's fine. Still won't listen to anything but 'sit' though." she replied and he chuckled at the last part.

"We'll have to work hard to train him. That's for sure." he stated, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah. the little hell-hound tore up my pillow case." she crossed her arms. He laughed at her quietly.

"They'll do that. So, how'd you like the game?" there was an odd tone in his voice at the end of the sentence. Awkwardness, almost.

"You're pretty good. Believe it or not, I actually liked watching you play." she praised. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard. 9:06PM. "Jeez, it's already this late?" she asked disbelieving. He huffed.

"Yeah. This is usually the time all of our games end. Coach sometimes makes us practice 'til eleven though. Practice makes perfect, as he likes to say."

"But nobody's perfect, so why practice?" Sakura said wittingly. He smirked.

"I'm perfect." he said in a mock arrogant tone.

"You're really full of yourself aren't you?" she smiled. They argued playfully back and fourth until they reach Sakura's house. He pulled into her driveway and stopped.

He walked her to the door. "Thanks for inviting me to watch you play. I had fun." she said.

"No problem. Maybe we can do something like this again, " he paused, "Only, something that involves the both us in the same place." he said and she laughed.

"I'd like that. Goodnight Hitsugaya." she said as she unlocked and opened the door. He waved her off and headed back to his car. Once he was gone, she entered the house and shut and locked the door behind her. When she turned around, she headed straight for her room.

Upon opening the door, her mouth literally fell open in shock. Her room was in complete chaos. Fuzz was strewn everywhere and on ground next to her lay a now ruined pair of shoes. The bottom of her curtains were shredded, and the covers of her bed were all over the place.

_"Ruff!"_

Asher suddenly crawled out from under her bed, covered in fuzz and with a torn stuffed animal in his mouth. It was obvious he had done this to her room!

"You little hell-hound!" she said angrily. Asher whined and looked up at her. His big brown eyes almost looked like he was about to cry and the way he lowered his body made him look absolutely pitiful. He layed at her feet, licking her pants and shoes and nudging her.

Sakura's bottom lip trembled as she looked at him. She tried to force herself to look away but couldn't bring her eyes to move as she stared the dog. Finally, she gave in to his apologetic stature.

"Ohh, I can't stay mad at you!" she dropped down and wrapped her arms around his big frame. His attitude changed instantly and his tail wagged furiously as he lifted his head to lick her in the face. His weight made her fall backwards and he attacked her with dog-kisses.

"Asher stop it!" she laughed, completely forgetting about the condition her room was in.

_Clunk!_

The sound of a door shutting.

"Sakura, I'm home!" Tsunade's voice echoed throughout the house. Asher froze and his eyes trained on the door. Sakura ushered him into the corner as she went into a frenzy to try and clean up her room. She shoved the torn stuffed animals and fuzz into the trash and messily made her bed.

"Be quiet!" she told Asher before slipping out of her room and rushing down stairs and greet Tsunade.

"What are you doing home so early?" she asked.

Tsunade smiled. "Well, with everything that's been going on I figured it would be better for me to not work so late. Have you seen my sake?"

"We don't have any more, you drank the last of it."

Tsunade groaned, "No sake?" Sakura shook her head.

"Nope."

"Ugh. Oh, hey, I'm taking the day off tomorrow so we can spend some time together." Tsunade announced abruptly and Sakura felt panicked. What if Asher started howling?

"O-Okay." she stuttered and Tsunade gave her an odd look.

"Go to bed."

"Right." Sakura said before trudging back up the stairs. She made absolutely sure Asher was asleep before she layed down to rest herself.

* * *

The next day was fun, she would admit that. It was nice to spend time with Tsunade. Aside from worrying that Asher would reveal himself, she had a great time, up until the moment Tsunade went to work at five o'clock. Then Hitsugaya came over again and they managed to teach Asher to give his paw.

Hey, a little is better than nothing, right?

Over the course of the next few days, Hitsugaya and his friends ate lunch with her and after school she and Htisugaya would train Asher. They'd finally taught him all the basic commands!

Sakura had become pretty good friends with Rukia, and now she often joined her in arguing with Ichigo and Renji. she didn't stand out as much here because she wasn't the only one with an odd hair color and she liked that.

Naruto didn't sit with her anymore. It wasn't because he didn't want to, but because Sakura said he wasn't allowed anymore. Everytime he sat with them he'd just glare and make rude comments towards Hitsugaya. She still talked to Gaara, who she'd sometimes _force_ to sit with them.

She didn't even think of Ino any more. Hell, she didn;t even think of Ino having a name anymore! She was just another of Karin's lapdogs.

She didn't even think of her. Until now. She was sitting in her room. It was about 9:36PM. Her phone vibrated. The text was from Ino's number, but Sakura read it anyway. What it said made her blood boil. She couldn't believe this! She angrily looked from the phone to Asher, lying sleeping on floor. She couldn't even remember what the text said, but now she was seeing spots and she could _feel_ her skin prickle.

Blinded by rage, she snuck downstairs, and took Tsunade's keys. She grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and scribbled something down quickly before quietly slipping out, careful not to make noise.

As she drove down the street in Tsunade's car, going well over the speed limit, she went to a certain place on third street. She jogged into the old place, and the door creaked loudly as she opened it. She stepped inside and glanced around. This place had been abandoned years ago, but a small container sat uneventfully in the center of the floor. She walked towards it, and briefly hesitated.

No. She'd come this far. She'd stolen Tsunade's car and come to the warehouse on third street.

She was putting Ino's name in the box.

* * *

**in case you didn't get the ending, that's the box that was mentioned in the letter in chpt.1. So yea, Sakura tried to kill Ino**


End file.
